g all the beautiful furniture, which more
than made up for the five hundred gold pieces he had lost.

Unluckily, on leaving the house, he forgot to lock the door, and the
neighbours, finding the place empty, informed the police, who next
morning arrested Alnaschar as a thief. My brother tried to bribe them
to let him off, but far from listening to him they tied his hands, and
forced him to walk between them to the presence of the judge. When
they had explained to the official the cause of complaint, he asked
Alnaschar where he had obtained all the furniture that he had taken to
his house the day before.

"Sir," replied Alnaschar, "I am ready to tell you the whole story, but
give, I pray you, your word, that I shall run no risk of punishment."

"That I promise," said the judge. So my brother began at the beginning
and related all his adventures, and how he had avenged himself on those
who had betrayed him. As to the furniture, he entreated the judge at
least to allow him to keep part to make up for the five hundred pieces
of gold which had been stolen from him.

The judge, however, would say nothing about this, and lost no time in
sending men to fetch away all that Alnaschar had taken from the house.
When everything had been moved and placed under his roof he ordered my
brother to leave the town and never more to enter it on peril of his
life, fearing that if he returned he might seek justice from the
Caliph. Alnaschar obeyed, and was on his way to a neighbouring city
when he fell in with a band of robbers, who stripped him of his clothes
and left him naked by the roadside. Hearing of his plight, I hurried
after him to console him for his misfortunes, and to dress him in my
best robe. I then brought him back disguised, under cover of night, to
my house, where I have since given him all the care I bestow on my
other brothers.

The Story of the Barber's Sixth Brother

There now remains for me to relate to you the story of my sixth
brother, whose name was Schacabac. Like the rest of us, he inherited a
hundred silver drachmas from our father, which he thought was a large
fortune, but through ill-luck, he soon lost it all, and was driven to
beg. As he had a smooth tongue and good manners, he really did very
well in his new profession, and he devoted himself specially to making
friends with the servants in big houses, so as to gain access to their
masters.

One day he was passing a splendid mansion, with